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Ten strange jobs that now no longer exist (11 Photos)

History is littered with jobs that, at the time, were seen as essential to ‘modern’ life.

Indeed, how many jobs that we take as being part of the fabric of society today will fall to juggernaut of progress (Other than Website Editor of course)?

Check out some of the more unusual professions that have faded into time…

2

Knocker Up – No not a primitive one man sperm bank, but a human alarm clock that would go around with a long pole knocking on people’s windows. Actually, that sounds just as weird…

3

Moirologist – Essentially professional mourners, it was seen as very prestigious to have particularly sorrowful people at ones funeral. Changing societal attitudes caused this job to go out of favour by the late 20th century.

4

Leech Collectors – A slightly masochistic profession, practitioners would wade in freezing cold water and let the little blood suckers attach themselves to their legs. Over collection, the advancement of medical knowledge and the fact that having your blood sucked constantly isn’t that great for your health put paid to this strange pursuit.

5

Aircraft Listener – Before Radar the RAF quite literally used ‘war tubas’ to funnel the sound of approaching aircraft into a set of headphones.

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6

Compositors – This particular profession held on well into the 1970’s, but the advent of computers made the need for quickly arranged typeset for newspaper publication obsolete.

I suppose the newspaper itself is next…just kidding…(not really)

7

Gas Lamplighters – Before electricity, gas lamps were the main source of street lighting and an important tool in keeping crime down. After electricity, the ‘illuminating patrols’ were no longer needed; much to the chagrin of old timey gangsters and Victorian serial killers.

8

Resurrectionists – These rather spooky sounding chaps used to dig up bodies for scientific experimentation. Understandably, relatives of the deceased weren’t too happy about the fact and then with the passing of the Anatomy Act in 1838 (allowing people to leave their bodies to medical science), this rather amoral calling was truly dead and buried. HA!

9

Crossing Sweepers – The streets of major UK cities were famously filthy back in the day, so aristocrats used to pay people to walk in front of them and clear the sludge and crap so it wouldn’t get on their expensive clothing.However, the massive Victorian sewage system program and less horses put an end to these plucky fellows.

10

Night soil collectors – Night soil? Otherwise known as shit (!) collectors, people used to go round at night and discreetly remove human excrement from chamber pots to sell to farmers. Toilets and the realisation that putting human crap on fields is just disgusting caused these particular crap merchants to find a more interesting career path.

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11

Rat Catcher – Often with a trusty terrier by their side, Rat catchers would keep the rodent population down and did so for centuries. Amusingly, some even became celebrities including one called Jack Black. So now you know! That’s what Jack Black is famous for…

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